Insider Blog

Measuring CX: The Most Important Metrics

“What gets measured, gets done.” How often have you heard that? And while that is true, turning measurements into CX improvements is not always easy. In our recent blog, CX: More than the Latest Buzzword!, we identified three elements to focus on when evaluating CX: success, effort, and emotion. For each of these, there are specific metrics used to measure and improve CX:

Simply put, was the customer able to accomplish what they wanted to in their interaction with the company? Let’s face it; people do business with you because they want or need something. So, could they? Pay close attention to this metric because, according to Oracle, “55% of customer commit to a company because of the ability to easily find the information or help they need.”

But customer success is not enough. Remember, it’s all about the experience! Was the effort expended by the customer to accomplish their goals appropriate? Or better? So, depending on your industry, you might look at how long it took to respond to a customer service request, how long it took to resolve the problem, or how many people the retail customer had to ask before being assisted correctly. Again, Oracle found that “50% of consumers give a brand only one week to respond to a question before they stop doing business with them.”

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we need a metric that shows us how the customer felt about doing business with us. Customer satisfaction, likelihood to recommend to others (Net Promoter Score or NPS), customer loyalty metrics – these are all good indications of the positive or negative nature of customer interactions. And once more from Oracle, “86% of consumers will pay more for a better customer experience.”

A Roadmap for Success

Make sure that the metrics you use evaluate all three aspects of the customer experience as it exists in your industry, for your brand as well as competitor brands. But just having measurements is not sufficient to ensure success. Use your measurement program to strengthen and improve your customer experience. Track your metrics over time to make sure your actions are having the desired impact. Adjust your measurements over the long-term to inform your tactical decision-making and keep your CX fresh and responsive to a changing consumer and changing marketplace.

Finally, let’s refer once more to the Oracle study to find some errors to avoid:

Be responsive! 58% of consumers noted that their expectations were not met because a company was unavailable by phone and e-mail.

Get it done – fast. 56% said companies are slow to resolve issues.

Be knowledgeable. 57% of consumers said companies are clueless; and that they sometimes feel like the consumer knows more about the company than the customer service agent.

Get personal. 51% said companies are impersonal; sometimes they can’t even get the customer’s name right.

Know your customer’s history. 34% of consumers said companies are forgetful; they don’t even remember a customer who has recently talked to a customer service agent. And for heaven’s sake – don’t make them give you the same information multiple times in one interaction, even if you must transfer the call.

Customer experience pays off in long-term relationships, more sales, positive word-of-mouth and higher prices. By systematically and regularly measuring the customer experience your employees deliver and by acting on those results, you can build a positive and strong customer relationship that will earn dividends into the future.